WNV Outbreak Now Largest in U.S. History

New CDC numbers indicate number of 2012 cases outnumber any year since the virus was found in the United States 1999.

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August 23, 2012

This summer's West Nile virus outbreak is the largest the United States has ever seen, CNN reports.

According to new numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of cases so far in 2012 is the highest recorded through August since the disease was first found in the United States in 1999. As of Tuesday, 38 states had reported human cases of the virus, according to CNN.

The CDC has 1,118 total recorded cases, including 42 deaths, the most recent being on Aug. 22 when a WNV death was reported in Arkansas, according to CNN.

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